Staying on Brand ???

ahaslett wrote:

In thinking about another piece of kit, software etc, my experience leads me to drawing up a cost-benefit like table of factors. The “weighting” of each factor is personal and usually implicit.

Cost, weight, filling a known requirement, frequency of use are all relevant. I have a table for potential replacements for the aging Zuiko 50-200 SWD, to guard against an ill-considered purchase when it fails.

One challenge is to decide what value to place on something that extends my photography, for example an anamorphic lens or the Sony 100mm STF. Tilt-Shift made the cut, those two didn’t. It’s hard to value the unknown.

You also have to decide what penalty function to apply for the learning curve, especially software. I might decide that the learning experience is positive or a chore, up to me.

Then you have life’s eternal questions - would a better tripod and head be more useful than a body with HHHiRes? What new technologies and functions might be coming that would alter the answers? Might new requirements emerge, for example different holidays now I’m retired. How much might buying older technology used save me, if I just wait?

On the whole, just waiting is looking more and more attractive, not least because you can learn a lot from the extended experience of others. Seems like a good moment to thank MEDISN for his work on HHhiRes and jalywol for her cross-platform examples of flowers.

Andrew

I would like to add one more item to your list which I always ask myself: How frequently am I likely to use that new 'improved' feature?

'X' may enable me to take better surfing photos - which I would like to do more of, but will I get the opportunity to shoot any surfing in the next 10-12 months!

I currently want a few Arial images for a fun project, so have been thinking about a Mavic 2 pro Drone. But am weighing it huge cost against all the restrictions and rules and wondering how much use it would actually get?